Scot Davidson

“Food banks in my area and across Canada are running out of food because prices are too high. I want the Prime Minister to change the policies that are driving up the cost of food.”

“Mr. Speaker, this is heartbreaking. Right now, in Bradford and in towns and cities across Canada, every shelf in the food bank is bare. Despite the continued generosity of the community, food banks cannot keep up with demand. This is the consequence of Liberal failures that have seen food prices keep soaring, far outpacing what everyday Canadians can afford. People should not have to rely on government or charity just to put a meal on the table. When will the Prime Minister reverse his inflationary policies so that Canadians can afford to eat again?”

“I want answers and accountability from the government. Young Canadians work hard and do everything right, but high costs, expensive homes, and a lack of good jobs keep them from getting ahead. Government benefits and child care programs are not fixing this. Wealthy people are doing fine, but regular workers are falling behind.”

“Mr. Speaker, good morning. It is 12:21 a.m., and I rise to get answers and accountability from the Liberal government on behalf of the hard-working people of York—South Simcoe. Recently during question period, I referenced a letter written by one of my constituents, Margaret Haddon. In her letter, Margaret expressed concerns about the future facing young Canadians. She wrote to say that she raised her children to believe that if they worked hard, stayed focused and pursued an education, they would be able to build stable and independent lives. This is the promise many of us believed in when we raised our families here. She continued on to say that today she is watching that promise slip further out of reach for them. Her children are now young adults who are working, studying and trying to build their futures. They are not asking for handouts. They are doing exactly what society expects of them, yet despite doing everything right, they are facing barriers that her generation never imagined. She goes on to highlight many of these barriers brought on after 11 years of the Liberal government: high inflation, the rising cost of living, unattainable housing prices, and few good-paying jobs for domestic Canadians. When I raised the contents of this letter, I was very disappointed when the parliamentary secretary, on behalf of the Prime Minister, referenced the national child care program. According to Statistics Canada, more than half of Ontario families using child care, 52%, report difficulty finding it, which is up from 40% in 2022, the year Ontario signed on. The Financial Accountability Office of Ontario projects that families of more than 220,000 children will be left without a space. He referenced the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which pays a measly $56 a month to a single adult, and only if that adult earns less than $60,000 a year. People must always read the fine print. Margaret said in her letter that Canadians are not asking for handouts, but that is all the government can offer, despite the fact that many of these programs and handouts do not even move the needle for most families. Sadly, under the Prime Minister, we now live in a K-shaped economy, where Liberal insiders, the wealthy, the bankers and the bondholders climb higher while working Canadians fall further behind. It is truly unacceptable. Conservatives are fighting every day for Canadians such as Margaret and her children and for everyone from coast to coast to coast who feels that the formula that worked here for over 150 years is now broken. Canadians are tired of empty Liberal promises. They want the made-in-Canada formula for prosperity to work once more. They should be able to work hard, invest and save, and to work towards goals and dreams for the future. They should not have to resort to government programs, food banks and extreme cost cutting just to get by.”

“I want the member to give me a yes or no answer. Is there an affordability crisis in Canada?”

“Mr. Speaker, I have just a simple question for my colleague. It frustrates Canadians when they cannot get a simple answer, so I am going to give my colleague an opportunity. The member for Toronto—St. Paul’s struggled with answering the question, so I have a simple one: Is there an affordability crisis in Canada, yes or no?”

• Echo ×5

  A repeated line

  “Does he believe there is an affordability crisis in Canada?”

  Said 5 times by 2 members since October 8.

  Every time it was said →

“I want a direct yes-or-no answer from the member for Brandon—Souris. Does he believe there is an affordability crisis in Canada?”

“Mr. Speaker, I asked the member for Toronto—St. Paul’s a simple question, and she really struggled to answer it, so I will also ask it of the member for Brandon—Souris. Does he believe there is an affordability crisis in Canada, yes or no?”

• Little substance
  ?

  Question or comment in debate

  Signal 31 of 100

  Much of this statement went to praise, blame, greetings, routine procedure or general stories rather than reasons, requests or specific points.

  See full analysis →
• Echo ×5

  A repeated line

  “Does he believe there is an affordability crisis in Canada?”

  Said 5 times by 2 members since October 8.

  Every time it was said →

“I want a simple yes-or-no answer from the member. Does she believe Canada has an affordability crisis?”

“Mr. Speaker, politicians can talk a glass eye to sleep, but I have a simple question. We like to hear yes-or-no answers. Most of the time, and there are three clocks in here, the Liberals would not even tell us what time it is. However, I have a simple question for the member: Does she believe there is an affordability crisis in Canada, yes or no?”

• Little substance
  ?

  Question or comment in debate

  Signal 19 of 100

  Much of this statement went to praise, blame, greetings, routine procedure or general stories rather than reasons, requests or specific points.

  See full analysis →
• Echo ×5

  A repeated line

  “Does he believe there is an affordability crisis in Canada?”

  Said 5 times by 2 members since October 8.

  Every time it was said →

In response to a question from Elizabeth May

“Canada missed its chance to sell natural gas, oil, and clean energy to the world. The government has talked for months but done nothing.”

“Madam Speaker, the last decade was Canada’s time to step up to supply the world with LNG and supply the world with clean oil and gas. The government missed the ball. Nothing is happening. After 18 months, it is still all talk and no action from the government.”

In response to a question from Ryan Turnbull

“Canadians need lower taxes because taxes are their biggest expense. The government should vote for our plan to cut diesel taxes right now.”

“Madam Speaker, any tax relief right now is welcomed by Canadians. The number one expense of every Canadian across this great country is taxes. This is one lever the government can pull right now to give people more relief. Government members should vote for our emergency diesel relief plan.”

“Diesel costs too much in Canada because the government stopped energy projects and added taxes. This hurts farmers, truckers, and families. I want the House to pass our plan to cut fuel taxes and help build more Canadian refineries.”

“Madam Speaker, “fill her up”. When is the last time we heard that? After all, with diesel prices at record highs, everyday Canadians who drive a truck for work or for personal use are running on fumes and whispering a prayer when they finally pull up to the pump. As a consequence of Liberal economic failures over the past 11 years, Canadians are paying 41¢ more per litre on diesel than the world average price and 32¢ more per litre than Americans. This is driving up the cost for farmers, businesses and families in my communities in York—South Simcoe and right across our great country, especially in rural and remote areas, which make up such a pivotal part of our Canadian way of life. This does not just affect Canadians who drive a truck. Diesel powers farm equipment that grows our food, machinery that powers our industries and tractor-trailers that deliver goods across the country and beyond. This is why Canada’s Conservatives, as the official opposition, have brought forward this motion calling on the government to adopt our emergency fuel relief plan to provide immediate relief to Canadians struggling to afford fuel and faster energy infrastructure approvals for the future. It has been almost two years to the day since we were in the same place debating a different motion on fuel affordability. At that time, the former Liberal minister for natural resources stood outside these very doors here and said, “They have no view on how to build an economy of the future. Oil and gas will peak this decade. In fact, oil is probably peaking this year, and the economic plan of the Conservative Party of Canada is simply to produce more oil and gas into a market that inevitably, if we are going to fight climate change, will begin to decline.” The minister went on to say, “That is a ridiculous economic plan for the future of this country. It will leave Canada uncompetitive and poorer on a go-forward basis.... I encourage...the folks who sit on the Conservative benches to at least try to tell the truth.” The truth hurts. The Liberal government spent 11 years calling Conservatives and Canadians who supported pipeline projects climate deniers. The Liberal members, and I can see the Liberal member for Whitby across there, used the term 67 times in the last Parliament. They spent 11 years telling anyone who wanted to build an energy project that they were on the wrong side of history. It was not about economic viability or the merits of each project. It was all ideological. While the Liberals were dishing out insults and lecturing Canadians about a net-zero future, they also brought in devastating antidevelopment laws for our country. Conservatives warned that these laws would stop projects from being built, but the Liberals pushed them through anyway. As a result, critical energy investments sorely needed in the country died: 16 major projects worth over $176 billion. Canadians are paying for those failures at the pumps today. Two years ago, the Liberals said that oil was peaking, that the market was headed for decline and that Conservatives who wanted to produce more were ridiculous. Well, let us look at the market today. The G7 is releasing 100 million barrels from emergency stocks. Diesel is at an all-time record high. The market is not in a decline. This is a market the world actually needed Canada to supply, and the government spent a decade telling us not to build. Now the Liberals will tell Canadians that the price of diesel is out of their hands and that it is all due to global factors. There is no doubt that the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine have contributed, but why is it that a trucker in America faces those same factors and headlines, yet pays 32¢ a litre less than a trucker in Canada? A big part of that is the projects the Liberals blocked and the taxes they impose on Canadian fuel. They were wrong about the market then, and they are wrong to absolve themselves of responsibility now. They need to reflect on their failures and their ideological vendetta against Canadian energy production, which have led to this situation today. This is felt across Canada, including in the communities I represent. Just yesterday, I spoke to Garret, a local farmer. He told me that fuel surcharges are showing up everywhere now: on his custom work bills, on harvesting and on every single incoming shipment that he has. Every time costs go up, it comes out of the farmer’s pocket, money that would otherwise go to equipment payments and barn repairs. He warned me that this is not just a problem for this season. Next year, it will show up in cropping, in the grain market and in what it costs to move milk and cattle. We know that when farmers’ costs rise, the price of food rises with them. Garret paid $1.10 this same time last year, and just yesterday, he paid $2.28. That is why Conservatives are proposing the emergency relief fuel plan today, not just for our farmers, but for all Canadians. Canadians need relief now when filling up, and they need the infrastructure that brings costs down for good. We need to eliminate all taxes on diesel sales until at least Canada Day by extending the full excise tax cut until July 1, 2027, and removing the GST from fuel. We would permanently scrap the federal industrial carbon tax and the clean fuel standard, which increases the cost of producing diesel today and discourages the creation of new refineries for tomorrow, and we would close the price gap with the United States within five years by raising Canadian diesel and refined fuel production to one million barrels a day and supplying every region with Canadian refined diesel. Canadian workers should be turning Canadian oil into Canadian fuel. Under our plan, shovel-ready zones would prepermit areas for refineries, storage and transportation, so firms could build without even applying, as long as they follow all safety and environmental rules. That is cutting red tape and getting things done. They would also get a 100% one-year deduction, which would back new refineries, expansion, storage and pipelines. The Liberals were elected promising that they would move at speeds Canadians have never seen before. The problem is that Canadians are going broke at speeds Canadians have never seen before. No one has a monopoly on a good idea. We know the Liberals failed on energy production for over a decade, but today, they have an opportunity to do the right thing and support the Conservative emergency fuel relief plan today. I urge every member in the House to do the same.”

“High American tariffs are costing Canadian aluminum workers their jobs. The government added its own tariffs, which raised costs, but it is letting American companies avoid paying them. Why is the government hurting Canadian workers and businesses instead of protecting them?”

“Mr. Speaker, Spectra Aluminum in Bradford is facing layoffs and job losses as it deals with 100% stacking American tariffs. The Liberal government has responded by bringing in a countertariff that has raised costs for Canadians, but instead of using that as leverage to stand up for the 80,000 workers in Canadian downstream aluminum manufacturing, the Liberals are letting American firms dodge the tariff, by granting generous remissions. Why is the Liberal government undercutting the Canadian businesses and workers it is supposed to be protecting?”

“Canadians have started more than 15,000 online fundraisers this year just to pay for rent, food, and bills. I want the Prime Minister to cut government spending so everyday life costs less.”

“Mr. Speaker, we know the Liberals are used to stepping over panhandlers who are shaking their coffee cups on the street, and now they can just scroll past them online. More than 15,000 fundraisers have been launched by Canadians on GoFundMe since January to cover rent, groceries and utilities. These campaigns are not from some unexpected tragedy. They are for covering the everyday cost of living under the Liberal government. Will the Prime Minister rein in his inflationary spending so Canadians can stand on their own two feet again?”